If I Had Wings
Hilal - ages 13+ - Ajyal Youth Film Festival 2014
Allan Harmon / Feature Narrative / Canada / 2013 / 89 min / Colour / HDCAM / In English / Arabic subtitles / MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Synopsis
Alex Taylor is a teen with a big dream: to run with the school cross-country team and participate in the county championship race. There are a few things standing between Alex and his goal, however – the most significant being the fact that he is completely blind. When his eternally optimistic father approaches the track coach, she says Alex can join the team if he can find a running partner who is fast enough to keep up.
Enter Brad Coleman. A mouthy kid who lives with his dad and brother on a First Nations reservation, Brad is constantly in trouble with the law – and pairing up with Alex is his chance to stay out of prison. But it also means Brad will have to face down some deeply ingrained negative attitudes toward Canada’s indigenous peoples.
Together, the young men work to find a solution that will let them face the many obstacles in their path. While its core is a heartfelt story of camaraderie set in the gorgeous landscape of the Canadian West, ‘If I Had Wings’ strikes hard at the damage wrought by unfounded prejudice against people whom society has trained us to think less of – and people we fear simply because they are different to us.
About the Director
Allan Harmon began his career as a theatre producer, actor and director. He soon moved to film and television, working as an assistant director, unit manager and producer for networks and studios such as CBS, Lifetime, Columbia, MGM, Universal, Fox, Disney, Paramount and Warner. With his company Really Real Films, he has produced award-winning commercials. His feature films as director include ‘Afghan Knights’ (2007) and ‘Anything But Christmas’ (2012), as well as the Lifetime movies ‘Passion’s Web’ (2007) and ‘Second Sight’ (2007).
Credits
- Director
- Allan Harmon
- Screenwriter
- Michael Markus, Tim Stubinski
- Producer
- Cynde Harmon, Kim Arnott, Allan Harmon
- Editor
- Martin Bertiaume
- Music
- Stu Goldberg
- Cinematographer
- Neil Cervin
- Sales Company
- Really Real Films Inc.
- Production Company
- Really Real Films Inc.
- Cast
- Richard Harmon, Jaren Brandt Bartlett, Craig Bierko, Jill Hennessy, Lorne Cardinal, Genevieve Buechner